What We’re Lovin’ Right Now

I’ve been paying close attention to the conversations I have with my girlfriends lately. I figure whatever we are talking about is what I should be blogging about!

Today is one of my random blogs where I have thrown together 10 things that I’ve been chatting about with the gals lately. These are things that I am loving at the moment and figured I’d share the love!

 

U.S. National Whitewater Center

We hit this place last weekend to celebrate Father’s Day and I have to say it was spectacular.  We spent six hours there and could have spent a lot more if we had planned accordingly! We took my husband’s parents and our two children (ages 7 and 9). We zip-lined, rock-climbed, went through an obstacle course, ate some excellent food, listened to a band in the sunshine and loved people watching! There is also white water rafting, kayaking, hiking and more. My husband was in his element, and while I am a huge scardey-cat, I still had a blast! We were so impressed with our daughter, too, who showed us a fearless side we never knew was there. She was zip-lining with no hands by her third ride. My son had a huge self-confidence booster as he completed the toughest ropes course at the center. And best of all, my in-laws checked off zip-lining from their bucket lists! I am hoping to write a full post about this place in the future because it can be extremely overwhelming for first-timers. We learned a lot of tips after being there. For now, take a look at the website here and tips will be soon to come.

Any Version of “Call Me Maybe”

If you listen to any local pop station, you have probably heard more of this song than you ever wanted to hear, but I am still loving all the video spoofs online.  There are hundreds of parody videos, but the Harvard baseball players are still my favorite! (Photo at top of blog.) The team released this video a few months ago and I am still running into people who have not seen it, so be sure to watch if you’ve missed the hype! It is clean fun and my kids loved watching it, too. (I also have a few friends who are claiming to be cougars because they now all have crushes on these guys!)  I also love this one of Obama singing Call Me Maybe. And as any proud mom would, I am including my nine-year-old son’s rendition here, where he imitates the last guy in the Harvard video. (It’s only 12 seconds so not too painful.) Gotta love it!

Airbound Trampoline Park (now Rockin’ Jump)

Wear those kids out this summer! This trampoline park opened this year in Winston-Salem and has families jumping until they drop!  A big plus is that there are different sections for different age groups, so the little ones won’t get trampled by big kids. Activities include dodge-ball and a foam pit in addition the the trampolines. Summer hours are M-Th 11am-10pm, Friday 11am-11pm, Saturday 10am-11pm and Sunday 11am-7pm.  You can also purchase one or three month memberships.  Get all the details on the website here.

Bricks for Kids

If you have yet to visit this destination in Greensboro, be sure to plan a trip! Kids of all ages will love this interactive Lego dreamworld!  Activities are designed to trigger imaginations and build self-confidence. Children work with themes such as machines, outer space and mosaics. Visit the website here to get details on drop-off times, birthday parties, parent’s night out, summer camps, and more!

Brookside Dark Chocolate Acai with Blueberries

Have you had these? Holy cow they are incredible! We first picked them up at Costco, but they do not always have them in stock. (If you have a tie to our local Costco stores please tell them to get these back on the shelves!!!) In the meantime, here is the link to order on Amazon. The best part is that acai berries and dark chocolate are both supposed to be good for you so you can eat the whole bag! Just kidding … sort of.

 

My Panera Card

I am addicted to frequent buyer cards at restaurants, ice cream shops and clothing stores. Some of them are great and some I don’t feel like have ever been beneficial to me. Since Panera Bread has Wi-Fi, I seem to always find myself there. If you are like me, I definitely recommend signing up for the My Panera card.  I have received many free items and discounts since signing up and it has made using the card worthwhile!

Mad Mimi

This is the newest newsletter server that we are now using with TMoM. Our friend Chrissy with Consignment Mommies was the first to suggest it to us. She kept raving about it and we didn’t understand what all the hype was about until we finally made the switch. We have worked with numerous newsletter servers and this one is hands-down the best. When using most providers it is like climbing Mount Everest when trying to contact customer service.  With Mad Mimi you actually get an email from a real person who address you by name and knows exactly who you are and what you are trying to do.  They respond in a very timely manner, they track everything for you, and they are very reasonably priced.  I wanted to give them a shout out today because I know many of our readers are involved with organizations that send out newsletters.  I encourage you to give this company a try! (If you are not a TMoM newsletter subscriber just enter your email in the purple box on the right!)

Free Bowling for Kids

We have mentioned this a few times on our facebook page and our 50 Things to Do this Summer blog.  This really is a great deal, so I figured I would mention it again! This deal is through AMF lanes and kids 15 and under can get a weekly voucher for two free games per child per day through September 3, based on lane availability. Shoe rental is not included. Free bowling is available until 8 p.m., 7 days a week.  Just visit the website here to register.

 

Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market

This market is the same Cobblestone Farmer’s Market that has taken place in downtown Winston-Salem for years.  Now you can enjoy many of the same vendors at the Old Salem location.  I stopped by last weekend and brought home gorgeous fresh flowers, delicious goat cheese, freshly baked rosemary bread and my own basil plant.  I loved the atmosphere and the selection of local items.  This market is open on Saturdays from 9am-noon next to the Single Brothers Garden in Old Salem.  You can also get more info on the Old Salem website here.

Crappy Pictures Blog

The official name is “Parenting Illustrated with Crappy Pictures.”  But for those of you who love this blog like I do, Crappy Pictures explains it well.  Even though I run this website I am sad to admit that I am not much of a blog surfer.  I think I spend so much time on our own blogs that I end up with not much time left to enjoy others.  So when I find one that makes me laugh out loud like Crappy Pictures did, I am sure to visit it often.  I can’t do it much justice my describing it, so I will just tell you to take a peek here and enjoy!